


Field and Fox

by HoloProxy



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Genderbending, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23681671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoloProxy/pseuds/HoloProxy
Summary: Naruto's a sharp little fox with secrets he can't risk revealing. Sasuke and Sakura have their own inner demons. Enter Kakashi, the reluctant jounin trying to keep her dysfunctional team from combusting.Pairings: Naruto/fem!Kakashi with a minor Naruto/fem!Sasuke.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. The Restless Scarecrow

**Chapter 1**

There was a diner hidden in the back alley of a bustling bazaar in central Konoha. Although those who rose with the sun would never have known of its existence, it became strangely active in the depth of the night. This was the Midnight Diner, open from midnight to seven in the morning, although rarely was there ever a customer after five, because even the most nocturnal souls had to retire at some point in time. 

One of the many kindred souls that wandered into the cozy warmth of this homely place was one Hatake Kakashi, a young Jonin who was always down on her luck or lost on some unmentionable road of life.

On this particular night, she seemed even more wary. Well, it was already past four. The young woman worked herself to the bone everyday, apparently. The Shinobi Corps. was a gruelling business, if equally rewarding. The signs of this were evident on her face, despite being hidden away during the day, the scar that struck along her eyelid was pronounced now.

The cook, who was simply called Kishimoto, was a lean middle-aged man, dressed in formal clothing and not one for words. He was a wise man, if a bit eccentric.

He nodded as she entered.

“What road brings you here tonight, Sensei?”

She would often wonder why the older man would always refer to her with such respect. She wasn’t a teacher, at least not yet, and few people made a habit of respecting corporate killers, but she guessed the chef was one of those few.

“No such thing this time, Kishimoto-san.”

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.

“What would you like today?”

“...Fishcakes.”

That was new. Kishimoto hummed in consideration for a second before hastily walking into the supply room. Of course, this was because _fishcakes_ weren’t on the menu - if you could even call it that. The menu was something of a formality. The cook would whip up anything a customer asked for as long as he had the ingredients.

When he came back, under the dim lamplight, he had his hands on some portions of raw fish, oil, flour and fish paste. She became aware of the fact that it was slightly drizzling outside in the silence. 

“Usually even you retire earlier, Sensei, If you don’t mind me saying.”

Kakashi hummed. It was a musical sound.

“I was with Hokage-sama.”

“Ah. Sandaime-sama really trusts you.”

She nodded mutely.

“It just so happens that I had stopped expecting your arrival.”

The sound of something sizzling on the frying pan was heard, cutting through the air.

“About to close shop?”

Kishimoto chuckled heartily.

“Oh no. The diner’s open till seven. It’s just that nobody bothers coming after five. In fact, you're one of tonight’s final customers. After that it’s just a slow wait till sunrise.”

A pleasant smell caught her nose as she sat down in a small corner to warm up.

“One of?”

The chef looked up from the frying pan. 

“Sorry?”

“Ah. You said I was ‘one of’ the final customers you get regularly.”

There was a pleasant smile on his face when he understood what she meant.

“Aye. There’s just one more customer I get every night. He comes at around five. He’s a young one. In fact, he said he’d be finished up earlier today. You might catch him.”

“What’s a kid doing around this late?” There was a bit of shocked amusement in her voice. Kishimoto laughed again. A throaty sort of sound.

“He’s a special kind of kid. Involves himself in odd sorts of things. Believe it or not, he’s working. Gets off around four.”

Kakashi pondered this for a while and shrugged. She thought it wasn’t that surprising in retrospect. Probably an independent sort of kid. Like she had been.

She sighed, and her breath was absorbed into the aged walls of the small diner. The elephant in the room was not one that she could ignore, but the splitting headache begged to differ.

“Hokage-sama has assigned me to yet another Genin Team.”

He looked up. 

“Again?”

“Again.”

As he dropped her fishcakes off into a plate in front of her, he sighed.

“Surely though, he should know that you wouldn’t pass them?”

The blunt question caught her off-guard and she winced. It was infamous how much of a taskmaster she was, and even more so the fact that she had never passed a squad before. This time however, it was different, whether she liked it or not.

“Ah...It’s a bit different this time.”

“Oh?”

She nodded, taking a bite of a fishcake as she talked.

“The Council issued a request this time. They were forcing me into an apprenticeship. I had to pull a few strings to get a team instead.”

If the observant man was shocked he didn’t express it. Instead he hummed considerately. It was common knowledge how big a deal apprenticeship was. The passing down of personal techniques to a chosen protege was something most Shinobi would consider long into their career. It was _not, however_ , a good opportunity for the younger ones. Also, something about Kakashi told Kishimoto that she didn’t desire such a heavy investment at the moment.

“So who caused such a stir in the council then?”

Kishimoto was not a member of the Committee Council, obviously. It was composed of rich families and older tribes in the village. Although he had a cousin who was in the council, there was very little he himself had to do with them.

“Ah. That would be our young Uchiha-chan.”

His frown deepened. There was something rather unpleasant in Kakashi’s wry smile.

“The survivor?”

Kakashi nodded again. Her chopsticks hanging in her fingers uselessly as she completely occupied herself in her thoughts. Sasuke Uchiha was the last living Uchiha, if one would forget to count her elder brother, a man she herself had known well enough. 

“And the other two?”

“Ah. Well, there’s one civilian girl. She was the top of her class, apparently. Sakura Haruno.”

“...Kizashi-san’s daughter?”

Kizashi Haruno was a rather prominent merchant, If rather specified to importing and exporting shinobi goods not normal commercial products.

“Yes.”

Kishimoto nodded. Although it wasn’t well known, Kizashi had once been a Shinobi too. Kakashi had gotten the opportunity to work under him when she was still a Genin. It made sense that his daughter would aspire to be like her father.

“So that makes what? Two talented students? I’ve heard good things about the Uchiha boy too. So that leaves us with the third one.”

As it would happen, Kakashi had been most worried about this very boy. The third member of her Genin Squad. She was unbelievably nervous about the whole thing. Her, _Kakashi Hatake_ , was nervous.

“That would be Na-”

She was cut off as the door to the diner slid open. Her head turned towards it and her whole body froze. There, by the door was Naruto Uzumaki, his dull clothes torn at places, a contrast to the bright orange jumpsuit she’d seen him in and carrying a rucksack filled with...papers? She didn’t want to make eye contact but she was stuck looking at him. He looked so much like his father it hurt. His hair was the same striking yellow. His skin was a bit paler than his father’s and there were strange whiskers stretched across each cheek. Most importantly, his eyes were bright sea blue, yet narrow in the same way that Minato’s had been. She sharply breathed in. And then Naruto turned to look at her.

**-( Field and Fox )-**

  
  


There was a slight rustling as Naruto took off his sandals and wandered into the little diner. His hair was a bit damp due to the rain, and his lack of umbrella made the fact that he was drenched rather obvious. He made eye contact with Kishimoto and nodded, catching a towel in return. He took to moving to the unoccupied side of the little U-shaped oak table, and breathed a sigh of relief in the relative warmth of the room. It was only then that he turned to greet the other customer who he could barely make out in the dimly lit room. 

The first thing that ran through Naruto’s mind was _pretty._ The onēsan was definitely very pretty. She had long silver hair and a rather pale face. Momentarily the scar that ran past her closed eye registered. It wasn’t a particularly ugly scar. Naruto had seen plenty of those. Her mouth was shaped into a rather prominent frown and there was a small mole right underneath it. More importantly, she was staring at him. 

“Hello.”

The greeting was meant for both people in the room. The pretty lady nodded in return, whereas the chef smiled. 

“Finished work, Naruto?”

Naruto sighed. He looked much older than he was. Kakashi knew this because the third member of her team was supposed to be _twelve_. He shouldn’t have been working deep into the night and he shouldn’t have had those dark bags under his eyes.

“Yeah. I’m officially registered as a Shinobi. I had to let work go for now.”

The master laughed from the bottom of his stomach. 

“Well then, this meal is on me! What would you like?”

Naruto turned his head down and brought his hand to his chin, as if his meal was the most important decision of his life. For all Kakashi knew, it probably was.

“...Ramen noodles and beef soup...actually, can I get some fishcakes with that?”

_Oh?_

As Kishimoto got to work, Naruto settled in. He turned once again to Kakashi, and smiled. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Naruto Uzumaki.”

Kakashi found it much easier to be pleasant when she could keep her cool facade of disinterest. 

“Likewise, Kakashi Hatake.”

Luckily there was no recognition in Naruto’s eyes as they shook hands. It sort of pained her too, that she was just a stranger in the life of her only tie to her past, but that would be changing tomorrow whether she wanted it to or not. It would’ve stayed that way if Kishimoto-san had not put his own two cents in.

“Ah. Is this fate? A fresh Genin and Jonin-Sensei in my diner at once.”

Although it was a passing remark, Naruto’s eyes parted slightly more as he looked back at her.

“Truly?”

She sighed. She couldn’t work her way out of this one. She nodded.

“Who will you be teaching?”

She smiled wryly.

“That part is a secret.”

The chef coughed in a way that could only mean _it wasn’t a minute ago_.

Desperate to change the topic, she reminded herself of something Kishimoto-san had mentioned.

“So, Naruto, you were employed.”

He nodded eagerly. He got up from the other end of the bench, now completely dried, and came to sit beside her. 

“Yeah. I’ve been working at the Posts.”

She was loosely aware of what those were. Merchants no longer worked independently. There were guilds that owned most of them. Said guilds would set up small centers in large villages that weren’t their main operation centers to strengthen relations and for better arrangement of imported and exported goods. The Merchants Posts were those very settlements that the guilds had. There were at least three she was aware of in Konoha. 

“Why Merchant Posts?”

Naruto looked taken aback and scratched his head.

“Well, uh,” he turned to look at Kishimoto-san, who didn’t notice his gaze, preoccupied with his work, and signalled for Kakashi to lend him an ear.

Kakashi leaned in, thoroughly amused.

Naruto inhaled before he spoke.

_“Do you know about the Kyuubi?”_

She froze. Oh. _Oh._ She whispered back.

_“Yes. However, Hokage-sama once mentioned that you didn’t know.”_

He looked sheepish.

_“I just found out today. Well, the reason I worked at Merchant Posts is because the people there were foreigners. The other shops wouldn’t hire me.”_

“Looks like you two have hit it off,” piped in Kishimoto from the small kitchen, looking at them whispering like giddy children.

Ah. So the answer was in the details. The Konoha folk disliked Naruto. She knew this much. Naturally, they would not hire someone that they bore so much hatred for. It was like that for any job. Nobody would hire someone with a bad reputation - or someone who was on the receiving end of the rumour mill. The only people who would be willing to hire someone with a bad reputation were those who either did not care or did not know. For the Merchant Post, both of those rules applied. The story of how exactly Naruto found out about his...peculiar affliction was intriguing but she didn’t want to pry and she had a loose suspicion that the hurricane that had the Administration Office next to the Hokage’s Office in uproar had something to do with it.

“So, what kind of work did you do at the Post?”

Naruto’s eyes lit up and he grinned. His fang like teeth showed. 

“Well, I don’t want to toot my own horn but I’m pretty good with coins.”

Of course he would be. A boy who had been managing his own expenses since he learnt to count would be adept at that sort of thing. Kakashi knew this, quite obviously from experience. 

“So?”

“So I can help with finding fakes. People have been forging silver coins recently. Though there was a decrease when some Konoha Nin found nearby Warehouses and shut them down. The Post had a riot that day.”

Kakashi nodded. She was aware of this particular incident, if only because Asuma had hauled ass and won a jackpot through that particular mission. She narrowed her eyes however, wondering how Naruto would have come by fake coins. 

“There’s also a reason why I worked for three Posts. It’s easier for them to have a point of reference. And, if they ask for my credibility, I can always use my experience with one to vouch for my efficiency.”

She had to admit, Naruto had given a lot of thought to the particulars of the endeavor and his confidence was probably enough of a plus point in that department. However, there was a problem. 

“Merchants are a crafty bunch. It’s sort of hard to believe they hired a kid like you.”

That was illegal. At least, Kakashi thought it was illegal. Naruto frowned for a moment as if insulted, before grinning.

“Henge!”

The adult he henged into was just an older version of himself. Or more accurately, it was Minato Namikaze, in the flesh. Although Naruto couldn’t have known that. He had the chakra reserves to run around in a Henge for hours on end, so that wasn’t surprising either. What caught her off-guard was the fact that he’d been running around looking like a twin of the Yondaime and hadn’t been caught. Oh. _Right_. Working after midnight. It also made sense that Naruto worked late. He probably wasn’t allowed to work at all, and probably had to be incredibly sneaky about it. Plus, Merchants took days to journey to faraway lands and often arrived in the dead of night. The life of a Merchant began at midnight, as it was said.

Naruto looked at her, still looking like Minato Namikaze, a smug smirk on his face. _The world wasn’t kind to a tortured soul such as hers,_ she thought glumly. Who knew Naruto would torture her unintentially like _this_?

“Well, what do you think? Pretty neat right?”

There was something off about his henge too. It looked more like a physical transformation then merely an imitation of one.

“Yes. Neat. Also illegal. Could land you in prison for years.”

Naruto paled. She patted his shoulder and laughed.

“Don’t worry. As your Senpai, I’ll keep a secret for you. Plus, that’s great practice for a Shinobi. Not even a Genin yet and still tricking and fooling some of the most powerful people in the world of business.”

He turned red and sputtered. She had managed to terrify and compliment him simultaneously. Such was the life of the Icha Icha Paradise Expert.

“Although...I am curious about one thing.”

Naruto perked up, broken out of his stupor.

“Eh, what is it?”

“Why’d you need a job in the first place? I mean, even I know that you would get a monthly stipend as an orphan and a minor.”

If he had looked hesitant before, he didn’t anymore. In fact, he looked like she had reminded him about something of great annoyance to his existence.

“Ah! That’s right! I’ve filed complaints about this before. The shopkeepers always sell things to me at higher rates than normal!” Naruto said this all with an indignance baring much more likeness to his mother then his father. When Kushina had a problem with something, she had always been very vocal. Minato on the other hand would just take it. 

The civilians had been getting out of hand. Something about how Naruto’s eyes wandered around told her that wasn’t the only reason for his former employment.

Oh. Indeed, they may have had the emotional sensibility of a newborn, but the civilians could be sly and cunning, for all their stupidity. What a subtle way to make things harder for the kid. She was interrupted from her thoughts when Kishimoto-san came to the front and served Naruto his dinner.

He henged out of his adult form, _thank goodness_ . Naruto proceeded to dig into, _literally dig into_ , his food, and turned away. 

She looked down at her fishcakes. Or the crumbs of her fishcakes that were left, and sighed. Tomorrow - or today? The day had technically begun. Well, although she would’ve liked to learn more about Naruto, it would feel odd for a stranger to be so intrusive, and she definitely wasn’t ready to reveal that she wasn’t a stranger. All in due course. She stood up. 

Naruto stood up with her and bowed as she left. A respectful little Kohai. 

It had stopped raining. The clock struck six somewhere in the village. As she put on her shoes, she glanced back at Naruto.

“Come to the Academy in five hours.”

With that she walked out, leaving a confused Naruto and smiling shopkeeper behind.

**-( Field and Fox )-**

Naruto decided to heed the advice of his newly discovered Senpai and showed up at the Academy at eleven, instead of the allotted time of eight. He almost panicked when he noticed the empty classrooms, worrying that he’d been had. Of course, his worry was unfounded as he discovered that two fellow classmates were still there. His new teammates. He looked at them and sighed, a rather audible sigh as they turned to him as if broken out of a peaceful silence. 

Sasuke Uchiha was the definition of a tomboy. Her hair was nearly as short as Naruto’s own and her gear was quite obviously not meant for a girl. The baggy high collared shirt she wore managed to look both massive and well-fitted on her. Despite many attempts on Naruto’s part to strike a conversation with her, nothing had gotten through. It also bothered Naruto that despite several attempts at getting a rise out of her, Sasuke remained the only person he had never been able to agitate. Even when she looked at him he got the strong impression that she still wasn’t _looking at him_ but _past him._

As for the other member -

“You’re late!”

Ouch. When it came to beating Naruto, Sakura was a professional. A screech followed by a physical display of contempt was practically the same as a friendly hug to him by now. Over their years in the Academy Sakura had been both a mix of kind and incredibly hateful to Naruto, and the strange mood swings always managed to keep him guessing. Just as Sasuke was the class’ designated tomboy, Sakura was the most stereotypical nice girl. She was always incredibly fascinated by Sasuke, the resident genius of the year, outstripped in the written section if only because Sakura was the extreme end of the term _book smart._ In actual combat, well, you should be able to work it out on your own.

“Good morning to you too, Sakura-chan,” he said, rubbing his head. Although his encounters with Sasuke were nothing if not unpleasant, he still nodded in her direction. Apparently, feeling a bit merciful today, she gave him a prolonged, “Hn.”

The fact that none of the other teams were here clued Naruto in to the reality that their sensei was running incredibly late. Sasuke was nodding mutely to all of Sakura’s complaints in such a clear sign of indifference that Naruto almost felt sorry for her. But if their sensei was running late then that meant one of two things. Either Kakashi-senpai knew who Naruto’s Jonin-Sensei was, or she was -

Just as he was about to reach the logical conclusion the door slid open. There was a relatively familiar looking person there. It was Kakashi-senpei, but most if not all of her face was hidden. The face mask hid the lower portion of her face whereas her fringe hid her left eye from view. Other then the fact that the only thing visible was her right eye, she looked the same as any normal Jonin. 

“My name’s Kakashi Hatake. I’ll be this team’s Jonin-Sensei,” she pretended to look at each of them with deep consideration… “My first impression of you guys is...I don’t like you. Meet me on the roof.”

With that said, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura and Sasuke looked as if all of their former annoyance with their new teacher had disappeared, replaced with intrigue and...was that idol-worship in Sakura’s eyes? Nevertheless, the one with the biggest smile on his face was Naruto. _This would be fun._

  
  


**-( Field and Fox )-**

Kakashi had been truthful when she’d said that she didn’t like them. The moment she entered the classroom - or her clone entered the classroom, she realized how much of a problem this team was going to be. One look at Sasuke told her everything she needed to know. _Anger, and lots of it._ Sakura looked as though she felt she didn’t even belong there, which - wasn’t she the top of the class? Naruto was smiling at her, and to be fair, she didn’t have any practical problem with Naruto. There was some odd part of her subconscious that kept thinking there was an air of _falseness_ to him.

When the memories of the clone came back she sighed. The sky was bright and pleasantly cloudy. It could have been worse. 

Despite wanting to think of other things while she waited, she resigned herself to observing their methods of getting to the roof. Which - strange as it may have seemed, said a lot about them. Sasuke had arrived in seconds, seemingly completely unfazed. It seemed she was extremely adept at moving at high speeds. Sasuke looked at her but she got the distinct feeling that she was looking right past her. Naruto was second to arrive. Unconventional as always, he had scaled the side of the wall using his clones as ladders. Clones - apparently, that he wasn’t supposed to be adept at using. It took her a quick peep with her Sharingan - making sure Sasuke didn’t notice - that the clones were not normal at all. They were _shadow clones._ It seemed that Sasuke was a bit taken aback by the way that Naruto had chosen to get up, as now she was looking at him. Or looking past him. Never could tell with the girl. Naruto also appeared unfazed, and was grinning cheekily. The same sense tingled in the back of her mind.

Sakura was the last to arrive, and seemed incredibly saddened by this fact. She looked to Sasuke then to Naruto.

“Well children. Sit down somewhere.”

And so they did. 

“I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have some likes and some dislikes. My interests are...well,” her singular eye twitched for dramatic effect as she thought of the book stashed in her jacket. 

“Now. To begin with, Sakura...was it?”

“Yes! My name is Sakura Haruno. As for what I like...spending time with friends and uh...puzzles. Dislikes…( She shot a quick glance to Naruto and he flinched. )...my interests...I’m interested in medical ninjutsu.”

That was expected...if a bit bland. She was interested in becoming a med-nin. She humored herself when she realized that medical jutsu were quite similar to puzzles in their extreme level of intricacy and web weaving. 

“Alright. You, Sasuke.”

“My name’s _Uchiha_ Sasuke. I have few likes and plenty of dislikes. As for my interests...No. My goal...is to kill a certain man.”

All within her expectancy. Sasuke was just the exact ball of negative emotions she had assumed her to be. The person her brother had made her. The mood had become a bit glum...if Sakura’s shocked expression and Naruto’s unnervingly thoughtful look was anything to go by. 

“And you, Naruto.”

The thoughtful look disappeared instantaneously as if it had never been there. Instead, Naruto’s face warped into a Cheshire grin followed by a vigorous nod.

“OK Sensei! The name’s Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen. I dislike the time taken to cook ramen. I want to be Hokage! Scratch that, I will be Hokage! As for other interests...I like gardening.”

Oof. She cringed internally as she processed the fact that someone had the guts to say that with a straight face - and a finger stuck up his nose. Yet the feeling she had gotten about him was even more pronounced then it had been before. _Fake_ , whispered the voice in her head. This wasn’t how Naruto had acted the night before. The person she had met was thoughtful if a bit excitable. He had reminded her more of his father then. Now he was completely channeling Kushina’s fighting spirit. 

“Hokage is big talk for someone who isn’t even a proper Shinobi.”

She had fully meant for that to sound as sharp as it was. She cut off his retort by wagging her finger.

“Especially since there’s a more than likely chance that the three of you will be heading straight back to the Academy,” and this struck each of them with the same force. She even had Sasuke’s attention as the girl _looked at her_ for the first time. Ah, what scary kids. 

**-( Field and Fox )-**

Naruto sighed as he locked the door to his apartment. It was finally time for him to relax. There was a puff of smoke as he finally felt the numbed parts of his body after 48 hours of constant henge. He had been lucky that for some reason his henge couldn’t be caught by the Byakugan or he’d have been discovered years ago.

His ears twitched in happiness. 

Sleep deprivation combined with constant Chakra exertion had left the poor boy with little sanity to spare. He didn’t have work anymore, his resignation papers lying on the table in front of him. Yet his troubles did not end. The pretty Jonin-Sensei had revealed an additional test to be taken next sunrise. He sighed and walked into his bathroom. 

He looked no different from how he had before, with a few minor changes. Ears not dissimilar to those of a fox stuck out happily from his head, and a bushy tail swished happily behind him.

Yes. The fox’s troubles would never end. He smiled to himself though. Things were about to get interesting. He wasn’t the Kyuubi, but he wasn’t exactly human either.

**-( Field and Fox )-**


	2. The World's Strongest Twelve-Year Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and co. face the infamous Bell Test.

**Chapter 2**

**The World’s Strongest Twelve-Year Old**

Sasuke Uchiha was excited. Was ‘excited’ the right way to describe it, she wondered quietly? It felt more like a strange tingling in the back of her neck and a premonition of a good future. She was a Ninja now. It had been incredibly easy. But becoming a Ninja was never the goal. Every stepping stone to cross, so little time. Not only that, her Sensei was the famous - or infamous - Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. She couldn’t find much about her - although she hadn’t bothered asking around either - she doubted that the Jounin was a very sociable person. She knew that the elder woman was an S-Class Shinobi - and that was all that she had managed to salvage from the Uchiha Library. It spoke of the woman’s skill that she was a Shinobi that not even the former Police Force of Konoha had any information about. Nevertheless, it worked better for her that way. 

She would grow stronger, but of course, like any true warrior, her strength would be a means to an end and not the end in itself. After all, she needed to be strong. A bit self-consciously, she thought she was already leagues beyond her classmates - snobbish brats that they were. Somewhere in the confines of her mind a voice whispered, _you’re the world’s strongest twelve-year old, after all, dear._ She shivered and shook as the voice of her loving and caring mother caressed her gently. 

Today was a new day, after all, not that she’d gotten much sleep the previous night. The sky outside was dim and she braced herself for the tests that the day would bring. The first thing she did when she woke up was clean her already neat and tidy apartment with practiced precision. She glanced at the wall clock. Five ‘o’ clock. _Good_ , she thought to herself. That left her plenty of time to train - and train she would. _Train you must,_ whispered a cold voice in her head that caused her to wince nervously. _You are an Uchiha, after all_.

With that said, she changed into her uniform. Today they would presumably have to fight, so Sasuke switched out her Clan clothes - one’s that she had grown accustomed to wearing - for the Clan armor which hung loosely on her. It would have to do. It might hinder her movements a bit but it was nothing she couldn’t overcome. After all, she was Sasuke Uchiha. She might have to remove a few of the metal plates, if only because it would be too heavy. The chest, shoulder and knee plates could stay, however. The armor was made from elastic fabric and fit tightly. 

She made her way to Training Ground Three, moving quickly through the empty streets of early morning - all the shops not opened yet. She saw no one else wandering the dimly illuminated streets. When she arrived, she noticed that the lush green fields were empty. In retrospect, she didn’t know why she expected there to be anyone there. Her thoughts naturally drifted to her teammates. A forgettable pair of kids. There was Sakura, who she remembered only because of the introductions the other day, of which she had tuned out everything but the names of her teammates. Then there was Naruto. She would admit she’d had the most difficulty tuning that person out. He was just as disposable as Sakura however, even if she felt slight uneasiness whenever their eyes made contact. She didn’t need teammates to prosper. She would prove as much today.

_Of course you don’t._ Both voices spoke to her, albeit in completely different tones. She sighed.

**-(Field and Fox)-**

The discomfort of sleeping too little and too late was evident on each of their faces. They had met up from three different paths that seemed to collide in the open fields of Training Ground 3. Sasuke had seemed to have gotten there even _before_ the allotted time of six. When Sakura and Naruto arrived they found her a bit exhausted - the only indications of this were the deep breaths she took, low enough that she would be able to hope that none of them would notice. Sakura was awed at the determination her teammate possessed, but Naruto’s eyes were narrowed.

The sun had yet to rise, and they stared sullenly at each other. Well, Sakura thought they were sullen. Both the other members of her Team were doing what she had seen her father do before. Whenever he was annoyed he would express himself with little gestures. Naruto looked as pleasant and carefree as ever and Sasuke looked as aloof as she always did. But Sakura wagered that they were just hiding their annoyance, as Naruto would yawn deeply every few minutes while rubbing his eyes and Sasuke’s eyes darted around in thinly veiled impatience. The sky was a dull purple and the surrounding forests painted a deep green. 

After half an hour of staring at their wrist watches, Naruto laughed. The sound reverberated through the empty fields. Both Sakura and Sasuke flinched when the loud sound entered their ears and gave Naruto a sharp look. He got up and stretched, and the cracking sound that was produced made Sakura flinch.

“Up for a game of Truth or Dare, you two?”

Sasuke snorted from behind her. Sakura just rushed Naruto. Of course, she made sure to hit him just hard enough on his shoulder for him to wise up but not actually get hurt. 

“We’re not in the Academy anymore, Naruto!”

Naruto replied while rubbing his shoulder that it wasn’t as if they had anything better to do. Internally Sakura agreed with the statement.

In the end, when Naruto proposed the idea to Sasuke, she replied with a stiff, “Are you kidding me?” and the firm refusal dashed any chances for Sakura to join Naruto. With his proposal rubbed in the dirt he had nothing else to do. Laying himself onto the ground, he shifted a bit, as if trying to get comfortable, before finally going limp. A few minutes later mild snoring was heard. Sakura shook her head while what sounded like a disapproving ‘Hn.’ came from Sasuke’s general direction.

  
  


**-(Field and Fox)-**

It was eight, by which point in time both Sasuke and Sakura had stopped caring and followed Naruto’s example - if in their own styles. Sasuke found a large tree to rest under, still sitting up with her arms crossed in her sleep. Sakura was all zipped up in a sleeping bag - _she brought that along?_ Was what would have crossed the minds of her teammates had they been conscious. 

In truth, Kakashi was not late. She had been hidden within the depths of the murky forest depths, quietly observing her new students. She wondered if it was alright to assume that they were her students. After all, while her official title was ‘Jounin Sensei’ her job entailed less actual teaching and more leading a squad. Showing them the ropes until they could move on as independent shinobi.

All in all, they performed as she had expected. Sasuke had arrived early, and Kakashi had observed the tough little kid practice plenty of basic shinobi exercises, performing each perfectly. Well, aside from one. The exercise in question involved launching multiple kunai in rotation while being mobile to set up wire traps. It was an exercise that had caused Kakashi no small amounts of mental turmoil as she recognized it as one a certain junior in her former ANBU team would perform. One whose true identity she had figured out on her own, of course. It wasn’t difficult to connect the dots when a fourteen year-old Sharingan wielding boy showed up one day and a similar prodigy was taken out of his Jounin squad on the same day.

Moving back onto topic, it seemed that Sasuke wished to try and replicate her brother’s genius, and the small twitch of her thin eyebrows gave away her frustration at being unable to do so. It was a shame, thought Kakashi. From what Kakashi had seen, Sasuke was a bit of a warrior in her movement. A strong, perfected stance but open to improvisation. A clear difference from the graceful and frail Genjutsu Master her brother had been. However, there was a drive. One day, perhaps, she would rise to the task of leading this group of oddballs. For now, something about her eyes rubbed Kakashi the wrong way.

Sakura seemed to be the same as what Kakashi had seen the previous day. Yet, she showed resourcefulness when she rummaged her rucksack for a sleeping bag, even surprising Kakashi. From what Kakashi understood, it seemed Sakura had grown up with a crafty merchant as her father, and as such, it seemed that resourcefulness had cemented itself into her small movepool. It was something that would help the whole team - not just Sakura herself. A team player with an interest in medical Ninjutsu. Yes, Kakashi could see it. 

Naruto had the least to do in this particular setting, being himself. Yet she had seen something interesting over an hour ago. A game of Truth and Dare huh? It seemed that the meaning of this little game Naruto had proposed had gone past both of the other member’s heads. Kakashi snorted to herself when Naruto initially proposed the game, his reasoning clear for her to see. She was a pro in looking underneath the underneath. Naruto would have utilized the ‘truth’ to find out more about Sasuke, sacrificing some information in return for other information. But despite the mischievous attempt at light heartedly gathering information it still felt lacking. It was, however, cunningness not associated with the class clown’s repertoire. 

They were, however, competent, in their own, messy way. If things went well they would spread their wings soon, relieving her of the responsibility of mothering them. She snorted dismissively. She hadn’t even passed them, and here she was, hoping to free herself of them. All in due course.

It was about time. She didn’t want the brats to stay asleep long enough to feel refreshed.

**-(Field and Fox)-**

When Kakashi finally appeared, the sky was a deep blue and the sun was damningly bright. She played the part of a disinterested taskmaster to the tea. The effects of this on the kids was amusing. 

Sakura’s annoyance was plain for everyone to see in the way she grit her teeth. If glaring was fatal then Sasuke would’ve killed her a hundred times over. Naruto just smiled at her jovially, as if happy to see her. She supposed he was just being the ever respectful kohai that she had met the day before last, once again clashing with the persona he had worn when they had gone through the initial introductions. She shook her head mentally, since he was still lazily picking his nose. Perhaps she was desperately trying to find a long dead mentor in those blue eyes. 

“Your assignment,” she said, dangling the tiny bells in front of their raptly attentive eyes, “Is to get these bells from me. If you manage to get even one of these from me, you pass.”

It went unsaid that there were only two bells. She watched amusedly as they drew the obvious conclusion that proposed. Only two would pass. One would fail. Interestingly, Naruto looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if asking _really?_ She did not falter, however, and he turned away. The other two, working their way through her little riddle, eyed Naruto, as if unconsciously thinking that he would be the odd one out. Interesting. 

“You have till noon. Your time starts,” she watched as all three tensed in alarm, maybe thinking that she was going to actively go after them, “...Now.”

And they were off. All three dashed out of her field of vision, rushing into the surrounding forest. Well then, it was time to indulge herself a bit. She rummaged through her jacket pocket, eventually pulling out the _Icha Icha Paradise, A Tale of two shinobi_ out.

_Ah, sweet reverse harem delight._

**-(Field and Fox)-**

_It was perfect,_ she thought. Sasuke Uchiha was giddy beneath her reserved exterior. It felt as if the test was made for _her_ . She didn’t even have to fight her sensei. The word _sensei_ felt pleasant on her tongue as she practiced it. It was clear as day now. Her sensei, the S-Class Ninja, did not desire deadweight. This was the purpose of the test. Of course, any good teacher had her standards - so of course the Jounin would want the best and _only_ the best. 

It was then that she heard the rustling of leaves behind her. Her dominant hand flew to her Kunai pouch, only to catch a glimpse of orange and settle down as Naruto maneuvered himself over a thorny bush.

“...”

When Naruto was done patting the dirt off his pants, he turned to look at her - while picking his nose, of course.

“So, what’s your plan?”

For a moment she was struck with an odd sense of pride. The inferior teammate had come to seek help from the superior. Then she realised with some disgust that the boy had come to her because he intended to feed off of her ability. Surely, even someone as thick skulled as him had figured out his own inadequacy and had reached the conclusion that he needed her help.

She scoffed.

“Not your concern.”

She turned and leapt away, not noticing the forced smile on Naruto’s face. She had a bell to retrieve. 

…

A clone Kakashi made observed the encounter, hidden behind a bush. So that was the source of the discomfort gnawing at her stomach. Yes, it made complete sense. Sasuke was like her, _was like she had been_ , she corrected. She briefly glanced at Naruto, who was still smiling, as he shrugged his shoulders to no one in particular, in a ‘ _what can you do?’_ way. Then she dispelled herself.

…

With her newly received memories Kakashi closed her novel, fully aware of how competent the coming fledgling was, and that she’d probably need to be attentive. The memories made her even more uncomfortable. Things had also stopped proceeding in the way that Kakashi had anticipated them. She had expected for Naruto to try his luck first, but the boy had a more cunning approach. So, he had tried to assist Sasuke? There was something more there, she thought. 

The dilemma that the bell test posed was one that had one generally accepted solution - teamwork - but - there was an argument for other possible solutions as well. She dispelled the clone that was observing Sakura, who was perched on top of a tree, watching Kakashi read as if it was the most important thing in the world.

Ah, the girl had arrived. She had hidden herself behind a stone - which - ah - Kakashi didn’t need to follow that line of thought. Kakashi turned away from the stone - and reopened Icha Icha, hoping to bait the girl. Instead of rushing him when his back was turned, she instead threw Kunai - with extreme precision for the distance between them - at Kakashi’s open back. Kakashi thought it’d be more scary to use a Kawarimi then to just evade them. That would be an awful lot of hand signs [1] however. She sighed.

With that done, Kakashi ended up just outside the clearing, a few meters into the forest. She mutely thought that this was where Sakura had been a moment ago, but to her surprise - Sakura was no longer there. She didn’t have time to wonder seriously about this however, as she had an Uchiha to catch. Sasuke had done her the favour of coming out into the open. She would at least respect the girl and give her a fair chance. 

With that said, she walked out of the woods. Sasuke was still hiding.

She didn’t bother calling out to her, since Sasuke had probably realized that using tools like kunai and shuriken wouldn’t work on someone who could catch them all with one hand - that had been one bad day with Gai. His challenges could get out of hand sometimes. Instead, she just waited with her back turned to the stone. 

If the girl had not realized that Kakashi was well aware of her location, then she would have to be told. She had just decided to catch the girl off guard when she heard fast approaching footsteps. She turned around just in time to catch the girl’s fist. She hit hard, perhaps, but nothing Kakashi couldn’t block. She mutely debated the consequences of using A Thousand Years of Pain, but thought better then doing so. She launched a quick fist into Sasuke's stomach - with more force then needed, she realized, but sighed in relief when the girl burst into a puff of smoke. Huh. Go fig-

“Katon, Goukakyuu No Jutsu.”

Ah fuck. 

…

Sasuke was rather proud as she finished off her jutsu. It was more than she had planned to use, but she had exhausted herself earlier in the morning and she didn’t have the energy left to have a taijutsu spar with the S-class Shinobi.

Only when the fire cleared off did she realize her mistake. It was too late by then, of course, as a hand rose up from the ground and pulled her down. She growled in frustration. Her attempt had been too lackluster. 

Kakashi didn’t dilly dally and spell to her the mistakes she made, instead walking away from her and opening that book of hers again. 

Where were the other two? Her mind wondered now that she had nothing better to do. They had probably run away, she thought, scared by the Jounin. As she was thinking about how to escape her predicament, there was a rustling of leaves heard, and both she and Kakashi turned their heads.

**-(Field and Fox)-**

Kakashi let herself be surprised. Things had deteriorated far quicker then she had wanted them too. She had made a mockery of the tough little girl and now chances of the three separated teammates working together were next to none. Now, after Sasuke, she had expected Naruto. Instead, the person that came forward was the top of the class, Sakura Haruno. 

Kakashi would admit that she hadn’t thought that Sakura would approach her at all. The things she had observed from Sakura’s demeanor were apprehension and a near heart attack inducing tension. The girl hadn’t gotten past that fear, it seemed, if her quick breaths and constant glances were any indication. But Kakashi would give credit where it was due. Despite her fears, Sakura had the guts to walk up to her. Something felt odd about how she approached, however. 

In the blink of an eye, there were kunai and shuriken flying in her general direction. Yet, she realised with some amusement, the distance between them was far too great and the kunai spread out and lodged themselves in the nearby ground. There must have been a couple dozen. 

It was a nonsensical strategy and Kakashi pondered what the girl was thinking, throwing some weapons in her general direction. Now she looked to be forming some hand signs. The girl would only know academy jutsu, there was nothing there that Kakashi couldn’t counter with ease. It made no se-

_Wait_.

Kakashi had forgotten to ask a vital question - the third member - Naruto - where was he? She had dismissed him after Sakura walked out - he would still be hiding in the woods - but she didn’t think of the obvious conclusion that she should’ve drawn from Sasuke’s rejection to help him - it only made sense that after being rejected by one teammate he would - but that meant -

She was caught off-guard by the puffs of smoke that went off like small explosions all around her. Before she knew it an army of Naruto’s descended upon her all at once. Instead of attacking however, they hurried to grab hold of her hands and limbs. Hands - of course, they couldn’t let her perform any hand signs, and limbs to make sure she didn’t run away. 

Before she knew, she was lying on the ground, more clones then she could count holding her down.

One of them, who she assumed was the real Naruto, grinned at her. The cheeky smile was rather predatory, she thought idly.

“Sorry Senpai, but we’ll be taking the bells.”

She grinned too, and the strange way her mask contorted accordingly wiped Naruto’s smile off his face.

“I’m sorry too.”

A puff of smoke followed.

Truth be told, she’d done something she hadn’t thought she would do. She’d used the Sharingan. Only for but a moment, to find the only route of escape while the clones revealed themselves. Then she had made a shadow clone, and left it to be mauled by the Naruto clones. All very quickly. Naruto was fast, she’d give his uncoordinated movement that one compliment - but she was _faster_.

She hadn’t wanted to even slightly _try_ during this test, since it was mostly the mental game she wanted to play - and because the three Genin were weak enough for her to beat with her eyes closed and both hands tied behind her back.

As she made her escape, the Naruto clones dispelled, leaving one Naruto smiling at her.

“Hey Senpai! Check your pocket!”

She checked the pocket where she had deposited the bells. She felt pointy rocks.

The game was over. 

All at once, Sasuke, stuck in her rabbit hole, Naruto, who was grinning while pointing, and Kakashi whose singular eyebrow was raised, turned to the final member of the would-be Team 7. Sakura clutched the two bells tightly in her hands, looking both cheerful and terribly confused.

…

It turned out, in fact, that Naruto _had_ approached Sakura after being declined by Sasuke, and she had accepted, thinking that two heads were better than one.

It had also been Sakura, who had proposed the most simple and foolishly dumb plan. They would Kawarimi the bells. It boasted the fact that even the basic academy Jutsu had been more useful to their cause than Sasuke’s flashy fire nature.

This all would only work when a few requirements were fulfilled. The Kawarimi had three basic limitations :

1 ) The object to be replaced had to be close to the user, along with the object that was going to replace it.

2 ) The size of the objects that were displaced had to be small - in consideration with the user’s chakra reserves. The more chakra, the larger the object displaced could potentially be.

The third limitation was more of an unspoken one. The Kawarimi took a long time to use, since the hand sign sequence was annoyingly long. So long that, most of the time, the final year academy students would memorise it just for the day that the exam would take place, to forget it later on. This was where Sakura had shone as the book smart girl. Kakashi herself had always kept the sequence memorised for this very reason. Most grown Shinobi didn’t expect it. It seemed despite knowing this she had fallen for it.

The second part of the plan, mainly the way to allow Sakura to use the Kawarimi, was to keep Kakashi distracted until she finished the hand signs. Naruto had risen to the occasion brilliantly…

In truth, perhaps Kakashi had underestimated Sakura too much. Sasuke’s skill set she had been well aware of. She had had a feeling that Naruto would also cause some troubles - but she had wilfully forgotten Sakura, even as the little girl had approached her with all the nervousness and determination of a child trying to fight a big bad beast. She snorted. 

For the first time in history, the bell test had been properly passed.

Kakashi sighed. Maybe this meant that she had grown soft. The whole point of the bell test was that no one was _supposed_ to get the bells. Now what should she do?

She looked at Sakura and Naruto as they high-fived, and Sasuke - who looked as though she wished that the earth would swallow the rest of her as well, and smiled.

“Naruto, Sakura, well done. You pass. As for you, Sasuke...can you be a dear and fetch me the rope by that huge Kunai-shaped stone, Naruto?”

**-(Field and Fox)-**

Despite their success, Naruto and Sakura looked extremely uncomfortable, watching as Kakashi tied their remaining teammate to the wooden log. Sasuke showed no resistance.

“Now, Naruto, Sakura - good news. You’ve officially passed the bell test. Welcome to Team 7!” Kakashi was good at faking joy - even better at doing so sarcastically.

“As for Sasuke, I’m afraid to say she failed - so she’ll be going back to the academy.”

She let that sink in. Sasuke clenched her fists but said nothing.

“Although, in my own opinion - you should perhaps stop pursuing a career in the Shinobi Corps. Sasuke-chan.”

Naruto was looking at her with the same questioning gaze, but Sakura was barely containing her apparent anger at the situation.

“This is a lesson in humility, Sasuke-chan. Had you accepted Naruto’s help earlier on, maybe all three of you would have passed.”

“I-”

“You what? Don’t need help? We saw where that got you. Save your complaints,” she scoffed at the younger girl, not accepting her at all.

Apparently, Sakura had had too much. Her voice was shrill yet selfless.

“But Sensei - there were only two bells! We couldn’t have _all_ passed!”

She turned and smiled sweetly at Sakura-chan.

“Sakura, it seemed you passed the exam without even realising that you passed it.”

“But-”

“The goal of the test was _not_ to get the bells.”

Now she had the attention of all three children again. Naruto was smiling at her - as if saying _this_ , _this right here!_ Sasuke looked even more pained, the cogs in her head working fast as always. Sakura remained confused.

“The common answer to the bell test is teamwork. If the three Genin work together, then they pass, even if they don’t manage to get the bells. Naruto unknowingly tried to accomplish this. He didn’t get it all right, however. Sasuke still ran off. But you two,” she said, pointing at Naruto and Sakura, “Still achieved it, working together.”

She sighed dramatically.

“Anyhow, I’m sure you’re hungry. Feel free to eat your lunch. Although, you’re not allowed to give any to Sasuke. It’s her punishment,” as if on cue, Sasuke’s stomach growled and her face flushed in embarrassment.

“I’m going to get my own lunch. See you in five.”

With that said, Kakashi vanished in the blink of an eye.

**-(Field and Fox)-**

This was humiliating. Her face burned and she held back tears. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She _had_ to pass. She absolutely had to. She didn’t raise her head, not wanting to meet her former-teammates’ pitying looks. Kakashi Hatake, that woman. No, she didn’t let herself get carried away. The fault lay at her feet, as much as she wished to deny it - claim it was all a bad dream. Her stomach growled louder in hunger as she heard munching nearby. 

_You’re weak, Sasuke._ It was neither the reprimand of her father or the heartbreaking sadness of her mother’s voice. It was someone she had refused to speak the name of even years after. 

_You’re weak._

_It’s your fault._

_You’ll never be my daughter._

The voices clawed at her insides, hurting her in ways she hadn’t believed possible. _Stop it. Stop it. Stop -_

“Fishcakes, Sasuke?”

The pleasant smell caught her nose and she looked up, and it seemed that she had been unable to keep her tears in check - if the panicked expressions on her former teammates faces were any indication. Sakura looked at her with affection she couldn’t remember ever seeing on the girl's face. There were tears in her eyes too. The voices receded. Naruto, ever the cheerful child, grinned at her sheepishly, holding up a fishcake, which was probably rock cold by now. 

Nevertheless, her hunger held precedence. She bit into the fishcake and chewed savagely, her mouth open as she did so. It tasted good. Really good. Sakura, encouraged by Naruto’s disregard and moved by her aloof teammates’ tears walked forward and offered some sushi, which she gobbled down hungrily.

She thought it a shame, now. She should’ve given her fellow genin a chance. Pondering how she would probably never get nicer teammates left a bitter taste in Sasuke’s mouth as she asked for some water. She saw Sakura hurry back and look through her bag - of course she had everything in there. 

With everything turning out as it had, she observed that despite having lost most of her anger at her situation, Naruto and Sakura seemed frustrated on her behalf. Naruto scratched his head with a frown and Sakura’s anger radiated in her every action as she ferociously clawed through her bag for some water.

She thought of offering some peace of mind to them, but before she could do that, they all heard a rustling of leaves. A pit formed in the bottom of Sasuke’s stomach as she felt the nausea inducing killing intent. The pressure made her freeze up, and she panicked and looked to Naruto and Sakura. Sakura had frozen up with one arm still in her bag, and Naruto just directed his frown to the arriving Jounin.

“You!” the S-Class Jounin shouted angrily. Sasuke lowered her head again. It was her fault. The voices didn’t need to berate her now. She did the job fine herself.

“All of you...pass.”

Eh? 

“I said, you pass. You two, you did brilliantly again. Most times, the genin would just sit back and follow orders. That’s why I failed every - single - one!” Kakashi almost seemed to find pleasure in telling them this, but all three students winced. Taskmaster indeed. 

“Those who break the rules are trash, that’s always true. But, those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash.”

Kakashi’s eyes wandered to the Kunai-shaped stone that Sasuke had hid behind. It was a small movement, probably meant to remain unseen, but Sasuke saw. The other two children’s eyes shone with new found appreciation for their Sensei. Well, Naruto just beamed at Kakashi, but he was strange to begin with.

“Sasuke,” Kakashi’s voice was warm, “You are indebted to your teammates. Cherish them. They might be your only chance at having a close bond with anyone ever again,” there was something painful there. 

“Well, you three, as a congratulation for passing the test, I’m giving you the rest of the day off. Report to the Hokage’s office at eight tomorrow.”

They nodded, and Kakashi walked away. Instead of sticking around, Naruto followed, leaving Sakura and Sasuke behind. 

With that over, Sakura sighed deeply, and began untying Sasuke. Once done, she asked the obvious question.

“What now?”

In response, both of their stomachs growled and answered for them. They shared a private smile. Sasuke would try and find out more about her teammates, this she resolved herself to. But first -

“Hey Sakura,” the girl perked up at being addressed, had it been the first time Sasuke had ever talked to her?

“That stone over there, the Kunai-shaped one, did you read what was etched onto it?” Sakura shook her head in the negative, and said that she remembered Naruto walking off towards it earlier in the morning, before the test began.

With that being what it was, both curious teammates walked to it.

_Here lies the memory of our brave comrades, fallen in battle, but never forgotten._

Despite themselves, both girls shivered, looking at the hundreds of entries.

**-(Field and Fox)-**

“Hey senpai,” Naruto had caught up to her while she walked lazily through the forest.

“Sensei.”

“ Hey _S_ _ensei_.”

“Hi Naruto. What is it?”

“Don’t you think you were a bit too harsh on Sasuke?”

Kakashi stopped in her tracks. She thought back. Throughout the test, some odd nagging feeling had pushed Kakashi to act with just a bit more agitation with Sasuke then Sakura and Naruto. She had punched a bit too hard, and even used a Jutsu not part of the academy lineup. An earth nature Jutsu. 

She hummed considerately.

“Maybe. Perhaps I keep seeing other people when I look at you lot.”

Naruto stopped, and when Kakashi looked at his face she could decipher frustration, and...something else. Maybe she owed Sasuke an apology. In the end, the girl she had talked to so coldly and Sasuke Uchiha were completely different people.

After all, Kakashi Hatake was not Sasuke Uchiha. 

**-(Field and Fox)-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN. So, this chapter was slightly more complex to write.  
> [1] - Kawarimi is a very badly explained Jutsu, and the implications of it are a bit problematic, so to avoid problems I changed the Jutsu a bit. The version I went with has been explained well enough in the chapter, so I’ll refrain from talking about it here.  
> This chapter was fairly important in many ways. It cemented some problems Kakashi has, not being able to see things at surface value. Similarly, Sasuke had some problems, but perhaps not bad enough to be treated like she had been in this chapter. Anyhow, I think it’ll be beneficial to her development. Sakura is someone I’m keeping entertainingly bland, yet still endearing, to me at least. As for Naruto, well, I’m purposefully trying to keep his involvement to a minimum for now.  
> The next chapter will mark the beginning of the first arc, being the Wave Arc. See you all then!
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
